By Ishaya Ibrahim
As Nigerians get set to mark the country’s 59th independence anniversary on Tuesday, October 1, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday saluted them for their resilience in standing up for the unity and survival of the nation despite the daunting challenges.
The opposition party urged “Nigerians to keep hope alive and not surrender to despondency in the face of the excesses, impunity and recklessness of
retrogressive forces in high places seeking to undermine our national
cohesion, freedom of our citizens as guaranteed by the constitution as
well as emasculate the will and aspiration of Nigerians as a people.”
A statement by the national publicity secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, noted that “the October 1 date remains an undying signpost of our
freedom and unity as a nation. It reminds of the roots of our national
cohesiveness; the sacrifices of our heroes and our determination to live
harmoniously and succeed as one people, in all spheres of human
endeavours; a national distinctiveness for which we are known and
respected all over the world.”
The party celebrated “the resilience and industry of Nigerians in various
fields within and outside the shores of our country as well as the
fortitude displayed by our citizens to remain united despite the odds.”
Accusing the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of rolling back the gains of democracy, the PDP however noted that it was “depressing that after 59 years of independence and efforts by patriotic Nigerians in nurturing
democratic practice and tenets, the last four years have experienced a
complete retrogression to primordial division, impunity, constitutional
and human rights violations, assault on institutions of democracy,
disobedience to court orders, electoral malpractices and governance by a
cabal.”
“In the same vein, in the last four years, our nation has been faced with
the challenge of falling from being one of the fastest growing economies
and home to world’s happiest people to become world’s poverty capital
with a citizenry confronted by misery, insecurity, escalated violence,
bloodletting, kidnapping, banditry and worsened insurgency.”
The PDP however expressed optimism that the nation will eventually come
out of the woods and urged Nigerians to use the occasion of the
independence anniversary to rekindle their commitment towards the unity,
stability and development of their fatherland.
The party also urged leaders at all levels to be committed and sacrificial in
the discharge of their duties and desist from empty promises, rhetoric
and propaganda, even as it prayed for the stability of the nation.